Page 82 - World of Animals - Deadly Predators

15 1. What do piranhas eat?

Amazing Piranhas have a reputation as ruthless man-
eaters, but these predators are more interested
in fish than humans. Some like to nip at fins
facts and scales, others wait under bird nests in case
of falling chicks. They don’t tend to eat large
animals unless they’re dead or injured, and
The scourge of even then, a single piranha might only take one

or two bites. These fish are deadly, but they
have modest appetites. A red-bellied piranha
only needs about 2.5 grams (0.08 ounces) of
the Amazon food a day.

With teeth like razors and one

of the strongest bites in the

animal kingdom, piranhas

are some of the world’s

most feared predators

Words Laura Mears

RED-BELLIED PIRANHA
Pygocentrus nattereri
Lifespan 10 years
Adult weight 3.9kg (8.6 lbs) 4. What are piranha
Conservation status teeth like?
Razor blades. They’re about
four millimetres long and
NOT EVALUATED
they knit together like the
teeth of a zip. They’re so
sharp that they can bite
through skin, bone and
muscle in one go. Piranhas
2. Can piranhas don’t chew, so every
smell blood? mouthful goes down whole,
leaving them instantly
Yes, they can sniff out ready for more.
one drop of blood in 200
litres of water. They’re also
highly sensitive to vibration, 5. Do piranhas ever eat
picking up changes in each other?
water pressure using strips When times are hard,
of sensitive cells on their piranhas do sometimes turn
sides called lateral lines. to cannibalism. They don’t
Piranhas are opportunists, tend to kill healthy piranhas,
always on the lookout for but they’ll eat dead ones if
the next meal, and the they find them. They’ll also
combination of blood and nibble the scales and fins of
splashing might be a sign other fish. This behaviour
of an animal in danger. happens more often when
It can be hard to see in the weather is dry, or when
murky river waters, so tensions are running high
these heightened senses during the breeding season.
help hungry piranhas to
find their way. 6. How big do

piranhas grow?
3. Do piranhas bite people? The largest living piranhas
can grow to around 60
Yes, but not very often. Piranhas are at their most dangerous centimetres (two feet) but
during a drought, when food is scarce. Even then, most piranha the extinct megapiranha
could reach up to one
injuries are just single bites. Luckily, fatalities are rare. metre (3.2 feet) long!

82